


It's a Grimm World

by Karmae



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:48:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22332922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karmae/pseuds/Karmae
Summary: A strange virus suddenly spread more than a thousand years ago, wiping out most of humanity by changing them into mutants called Grimm. Many lost their lives or their sanity, but some gained strange powers and thrived in the new world. An infected Yang sets out to seek a cure and discovers some unsettling truths along the way...
Kudos: 8





	It's a Grimm World

"Find that rotten human, sniff her out like the rat she is-!"

"Kill the human-!"

"There may be more of them around-"

"She dared steal from our stores _again_!"

In the darkness, a pair of lavender eyes rolled at the echoes of harsh voices vowing revenge. It was almost funny how overly dramatic this gang of half-baked mutants were. She'd only managed to grab a few dusty cans of food, some strips of dried meat and bottled water. The bag she had slung over her shoulder barely felt as if it was there. Still, she supposed food _was_ extremely rare these days. She grimaced. Survival on the whole was just difficult for everybody around.

"I think I can smell her from that direction!"

"Stinking human! My nostrils hurt."

She huffed, tossing back a lock of messy golden hair over a shoulder. _What a bunch of idiots_ , she thought as she threw a quiet punch into her other gloved palm. They were monsters, but still human enough that they needed basic necessities to live - the lowest of the lowest Grimm. They had the audacity to think they were above people uninfected with the Grimm virus. She really wanted to show those bastards _exactly_ what _hurting_ meant.

_'Yang, you can't just dive into a fight head on and expect to win unscathed every time!'_

A certain guy's anxious face swam into view and Yang grumbled under her breath. That damned vomit boy, as loyal as he was, could be a real annoyance at times.

Their footsteps were growing closer. It was time for her to move. While she was confident she could take them all out alone, there was no need to expend unnecessary energy fighting if you considered the situation logically. And even though the chance of becoming infected by low-end Grimm like these was close to zero, it was probably better not to risk it.

The vomit boy's irritating, anxiety-provoking logic was probably rubbing onto her.

She peered out over the pile of wooden crates she'd been hiding behind to see if the coast was clear. Up ahead, dark figures moved towards her hiding place at a rapid pace. She had to get moving if she wanted to minimise a skirmish. Yang took a deep breath in and began a count down until go-time.

_Three… two… one-_

A horrible scream cut through the air from ahead. Startled, Yang accidentally knocked down a couple of crates, sending them crashing onto the concrete. She mentally cursed and leapt out from her hiding place - her pursuers would know her position now. She began to run in the direction of home, the hidden camp where they had created their small safe haven against the Grimm mutants.

Adrenaline pumped her forwards, but after a few moments, it became clear something was off.

She couldn't hear any footsteps following her.

Yang tossed a quick look over her shoulder and immediately skidded to a stop in surprise. She wasn't being chased at all. A familiar feeling of disappointment swept over her. She loved the rush of adrenaline, even if most people thought it was crazy. There was no hiding that the chase was what she lived for. And whether she was the pursuer or the prey, it hardly mattered. This was why she volunteered to do the unpopular job of raiding Grimm stores in the first place - to maintain her healthy doses of adrenaline every week.

She paused, torn between retiring home silently with the stolen goods or running back to rile up those semi-Grimm bastards a little more. It was obvious what the vomit boy would say, and prim and proper Glynda certainly wouldn't approve of the latter. But they weren't here to pull her back after all.

She spun on her heel and started to run back. _You only live once_ , she thought with a grin. She wanted to know _why_ they weren't following her.

Curiosity _could_ kill the cat, but then, not always.

The silence that had been pervading around her was suddenly cut short by a long, drawn-out scream. A cold chill swept over her spine as she stopped in her tracks to listen. Up ahead nearby, Yang could hear voices yelling and a monstrous roar followed, echoing down the alleyway.

Heart thundering in her ears, she dropped the shoulder bag of supplies onto the ground and quickly drew twin handguns from their holsters. She continued towards the sounds. The quickening breaths, the rushing sense of freedom and suspense, sweat pooling on her back and chilling against the breeze… She was in her element.

As she rounded the next corner, a new sight greeted her and her eyes rounded in surprise.

A huge black panther-like beast with monstrous claws stood facing away from her. Its long tail forked out into thin whips that slithered on the ground like tortured worms. The giant cat had cornered the bunch of ragtags who had been chasing her. Weapons shaking in their grip, the six of them cowered in the ominous shadow of the giant Grimm beast. Nearby its front paws, a battered body lay in a pool of blood, unmoving.

Yang stared, and she suddenly remembered the very first time she'd come face to face with a Grimm beast like this one. Her hands shook, but she clenched her fists around the handguns and took a deep breath.

That had been a long time ago. She was no longer just a scared, helpless girl.

"Hey kitty, wanna play?"

It was probably beyond mental, challenging a Grimm beast of this size without any kind of plan and two handguns. She hadn't even checked if she possessed enough ammo. And what was she doing, rushing up to save these rascals who wanted her killed?

A grin twitched at the corners of her lips. This was perfectly fine though. The risk. The fear. The anticipation. She wanted to experience it all.

The panther turned its head towards her to look over its sleek shoulder. Glowing yellow eyes behind a skeletal mask met her own and the beast snarled. Fangs jutted out, sharp and glinting. Its body held the crimson marks of the Grimm virus, skeletal spikes running down its spine.

Yang deftly pointed the barrels of her handguns at the beast.

"Whatcha waitin' for, kitty cat? You scared?"

Its eyes did not leave her, attention completely captured. It slowly turned to face her with a low hiss, ignoring the group of lowlife Grimm that it had originally cornered. They backed away and then fled into the shadows, leaving Yang to defend herself.

"Ungrateful bastards…" She muttered. She fired a shot at the panther.

The bullet hit the beast's bone-covered shoulder and bounced off with a clang. It hadn't even left a dent, but the panther roared with rage as if it had been shot. The beast reared up and charged at her.

Yang fired more rounds, each barely giving the beast's skeletal armour a scratch before falling harmlessly. She deftly switched direction just as the Grimm was about to leap on her and fired another round. A bullet sank deep into flesh as it hit an unprotected area. A terrible shriek resounded throughout the alleyway as the panther reared up once more.

Yang braced herself for another attack, a wide grin glued upon her lips. It swiped a giant paw at her, its sharp skeletal claws almost grazing her as she leapt backwards. She tried to move sideways again to get better access to its already injured area, but the Grimm read her moves. It struck with the other paw to the right, preventing her from moving in that direction.

Surprised, Yang looked up. The Grimm glared at her, its yellow eyes gleaming with intent behind the madness.

Shit… It was _intelligent_. This wasn't just an ordinary beast Grimm.

Her heart rate doubled. She pulled the triggers again, but was only met with silence. Maybe it was crazy, but she almost felt like laughing at her incredible luck. Now she was out of ammo. With a practiced flair, she spun the dual handguns in her grasp and tucked them safely back into their holsters. She took out a knife from her waist belt instead, flashing the gleaming point at the scowling Grimm.

The challenge did not go unnoticed. The beast pounced forward and lunged. Yang threw herself forth and slid in between its paws. With all the strength she possessed, she stabbed the knife through its left paw. A skull-piercing scream shattered through the air as the Grimm lurched back. It suddenly exploded into a mist of black ash, fogging the area in darkness as her knife clattered to the ground uselessly.

_What?!_

Her eyes rounded as her head turned this way and that, trying to understand what was going on. The black ash floated in the air, scattered around her and blocking her vision. And then the fog vanished as if it had been sucked in by an invisible black hole.

Everything was silent as she strained to listen, barely moving. Her eyes narrowed. Where did the monster go? All she could see was her own shadow drawn upon the concrete ground, elongated and formed by a nearby lamp. The evening chill drew delightful shivers dancing upon her sweaty skin. The tide had shifted. She was the hunter and the monster was the prey.

She continued to stand still, trying to understand where the monster might have run off to. It was said that some of those infected by the virus could utilise a power called aura, that allowed them to have special abilities. It was highly likely that the panther hadn't been an ordinary beast Grimm after all.

The silence rang in her ears like drumbeats. Perhaps the beast had fled, frightened. Yang let out a shuddering breath she didn't know she'd been holding. A low chuckle escaped from her lips. Maybe it had become scared by her craziness.

She slowly bent down to pick up the fallen knife.

Her shadow flickered. Before Yang could understand what was happening, fangs erupted out from nowhere and large jaws snapped shut around her right arm.

"Aaaaaaaaargh!"

It took her a few seconds to realise that the scream had come out of her own mouth. Then the excruciating pain hit. She jerked her injured arm away, blood spurting out and pooling on the ground. She staggered back as the shadowy fangs vanished once more. Her vision was blurry. She dragged herself towards a nearby wall, towards safety, wherever that was.

Eyes wide, she glanced around wildly. Where was the monster? Adrenaline in her veins became mixed with true fear. Wherever it was hiding, it could launch at her any second and rip her to pieces…

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

No. No, she had to keep calm.

The bag of raided supplies she had dropped earlier… She couldn't even remember where she had left it anymore.

Her injured arm throbbed in response.

Home, she had to go home. That was the one thing she had to focus on.

XXX

In the distance, she heard voices. Everything was black.

Ah… She had her eyes closed. She wanted to open them to see where the voices were coming from, but her eyelids were so heavy…

"She's infected," she heard a distinct voice spit out.

Cardin, her mind immediately informed her. Only that brat had a spiteful voice like that.

"No… She can't be!" A familiar, frantic voice made her lips twitch.

Stupid vomit boy.

"Yang? Yang?! Open your eyes!"

A gentle hand tapped against her cheek.

Her eyelids felt glued together but she somehow managed to crack them open slightly. A worried face below a mop of golden hair swam into view. She blinked. Everything was fuzzy.

She tried to pull the corners of her lips into a weak smile.

"H-Hey… vomit boy…"

She attempted to focus. Jaune didn't look happy at all.

"Hey?" He sounded unimpressed. "What do you mean 'hey'? Do you know how worried we've been-?!"

"Talk about yourself, dumbass," Cardin growled from behind him.

Yang slowly pulled herself up to a sitting position. She felt rather out of sorts, but some of the strength was slowly returning back to her.

"We can't have an infected stay with us!"

She looked around and noted the expressions on everyone's faces. There were only thirty-two other people living in the camp, but most of them showed disgust or mistrust. Only a few truly looked concerned.

Well, she wasn't exactly the most popular person around here. She knew that much already. Her loud personality and hot-headed attitude had earned her many enemies even in her home base. She glared back at the few who had guns ready in their hands.

Guns, to be fired at her if she went out of control.

She glanced down at her injured arm. Some brave soul had bandaged it carefully and Yang could crack a few good guesses who they had been. There was dried blood caked around it. The injury must have been pretty bad. She couldn't even remember how she had gotten back to home base. The memory of the strange attack on her arm washed through her mind. It almost felt like an odd dream. A dark aura hung around the wound, seeping through like fragmented pieces of black dust despite the bandages.

She was infected by a Grimm alright.

"Damn… A large cat… bit me," she muttered, a little dazed.

She felt numb. Maybe she was going into shock.

"A Grimm." There was an ominous click as Russel loaded his gun and pointed it at her.

"There is no need for that." Glynda walked closer to Yang, gesturing for Russel for put his gun down. He did so, if only slightly.

Hardly anyone ever argued with Glynda. As their leader, she was essential for their survival. She was not to be messed with, and she had proven her exceptional leadership qualities by organising raids and ensuring everyone got their fair share of the camp's resources. No, nobody fucked around with Glynda unless they wanted to die. It was the ultimate unspoken rule around here.

Still, Cardin had never been one to take orders from another without kicking up a fuss.

"She's going to turn into a fucking Grimm!" He snarled. "You expect us to just twiddle our thumbs and wait for her to kill us all?!"

"We don't know that!" Jaune argued back. Despite his fear of the bully Cardin, he spoke up against him for Yang. "We don't know that she will turn into a Grimm! She could just as easily die from the virus! She would never kill-"

"We're all gonna get infected by her disease!" Russel backed up Cardin as usual. His gun was raised up to Yang's face again. "We have to kill her! Before she turns into a monster and kills us all, or worse, infects us all!"

There was an uproar of voices. Yang's ears rang. Despite the chaos, it was pretty clear that most were in favour of killing her.

"Enough!" Glynda shouted over their arguing. There was a sudden deathly silence as all pairs of eyes turned to their leader. The tall blonde woman sighed and stared at Yang with a forlorn expression.

Yang's heart lurched.

"You do need to leave," Glynda said quietly.

"No!" Jaune shouted. "That's not right! We can't-"

"No, it's fine Jaune," Yang interrupted him. She was glad to find her voice did not waver. Jaune's eyes bulged as his face grew red.

She gingerly picked herself up from the floor. She felt a little woozy but managed to steady herself. A strange resolve settled deep in her gut. She should have been devastated by Glynda's announcement, but somehow, the gentle declaration by the headstrong woman made Yang calm. This was necessary, and this made sense. The prospect of no longer having to hide amongst the monsters also gave her a sense of… thrill.

She was a monster now after all.

A wide grin spread across her lips as she stared down Cardin and his lackeys. Russel even took a step back. Perhaps she looked rather mad, perhaps she already looked like the monster she was now. Yang didn't care.

"I think it makes sense that I leave," she said, sending Glynda a nod. The leader's expression flickered between relief, sadness and pride all in the space of one moment. The blonde looked around all the faces she had known most of her life. Wary faces, sad faces, worn out and spiteful expressions… How long had she lived here with this group of people? It had been getting harder and harder to keep track of time passing. Every day passed on without much excitement. The only thing to care about had been survival, leading to excessive selfishness and paranoia from various individuals. Getting out of here was going to be a new change of pace and a fresh dose of perspective on the world.

At least, that's what Yang hoped.

"Better leave now, bitch," Russel spat at her feet.

"Watch it, or I'll infect you." Yang made a claw-like gesture at him with her infected hand. She grinned as he cringed away. He had always been a coward.

A couple of people waved hurried goodbyes to Yang as the group dispersed. Most seemed relieved that Yang was going to leave. Jaune stuck around, sullen-faced, as did Glynda.

The tall woman approached her with a serious expression.

"Yang, I'm so sorry about this."

Yang shook her head. "I'm not. I think this would be a good adventure for me."

"Of course you'd say that," Jaune turned away.

Before Yang could respond, Glynda spoke in a hurried, whispered tone. "Find the hidden city known as Beacon - it harbours the largest group of humans who live together that I'm aware of. They may have some medicines to slow the process down or possibly even cure you." Her eyes unfocused for a moment as if seeing something far away. "I lost contact with them a long time ago, but I used to personally know their leader - Ozpin. Tell them Glynda Goodwitch sent you."

Yang nodded. "Beacon. Ozpin. Right, gotcha."

"It's not going to be an easy journey. You'll have to find your way to Vale. Beacon is like a fortress and it is extremely well hidden." Glynda's lips thinned. "If… When you become a Grimm, Beacon will not be a forgiving place. You'll have to find a way to convince them that you want to be a human again."

Jaune suddenly spun around, his voice cracking with uncharacteristic anger.

"We don't know how far she'll be able to make it. What if the virus kills her rather than change her?! What if she forgets her aim to become human again?!" He yelled. "I should go with her-"

"Don't be dumb," Yang cut Jaune short. "It's a Grimm world out there. Once I become a monster, at least I'll blend in. You'll be the one in danger."

She grinned at him playfully. "Besides, you're the weakling here."

Jaune scowled back at her. "This is no time for jokes!"

Yang lay a hand on his shoulder. "Chill, Jaune. It'll be fine. I won't forget my mission here." She gave him a soft, genuine smile. "Thanks for speaking up for me back there," she whispered in his ear.

Jaune's eyes teared up. Yang pulled away and punched him on the arm.

"Owww…"

"If you keep being a crybaby, I'll come back as a Grimm and kick your ass." Yang joked.

"Take this old gal," Glynda gestured towards a motorbike standing nearby. Glynda removed the old blanket that had been covering it. The vehicle gleamed, even in the shadows.

Yang's jaw dropped. "But Glynda, that's your-"

"You need it the most now. Use it well." A faint smile tugged upon the strict woman's features. "I loaded it up with fuel for emergency. What better time than to use it now?"

Yang couldn't help but leap into the startled woman's arms. "Thank youuuu! Holy fucking Grimms, I always wanted to have a go on this epic thing!"

Glinda stiffened in her embrace, but she quickly relaxed and returned the gesture. "Take care, and don't get into stupid fights. Survive, Yang. Find a way to become human again."

Yang nodded as she pulled out of her embrace. She turned to Jaune who looked at her with a forlorn expression. She sent him her biggest trademark grin, finally encouraging him to throw her a sad smile in return.

"I intend to survive. I don't know when we'll be able to see each other again, but I promise you, I'll find the cure and come back one day as a human."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Any feedback, kudos, or reviews much appreciated!


End file.
